democratic multiple

OAB Definition

small, inexpensively produced books that are sold at a low price point or are distributed at no cost.

Typically published in large editions. Vendors and collecting institutions sometimes define the democratic multiple as having an edition of at least one hundred.

In the 1960’s and 70’s, simple books with gallery listings were produced by art galleries as marketing tools. Galleries could more easily underwrite a print run than most artists. The impetus of the democratic multiple was to circumvent the art gallery system, placing the artist in a position to reach their audience directly, sidestepping approval by artistic authority or critique. However, the cost of print runs was prohibitive for most artists, and a reliable distribution method was never established, so the intention to sell the editions to the wider public was never actually realized. Also, though the price point of democratic multiples was accessible to the broader public, the conceptual content often was not. In the 1990’s, desktop publishing opened up other avenues for artists and continues to diversify through print-on demand platforms.

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